Bad Luck for Rod Luck as Interview Leads to Fracas

Last Tuesday KUSI-TV (Channel 51) sports guy Rod Luck was interviewing author William Kushner, who is writing a book with San Diego Chargers mastodon Burt Grossman, when things got out of hand. Luck says it was because he was asking Kushner “tough questions.”

For the archives of fine moments in television news, here is a transcript of Luck’s “tough” interview, or at least the portions Luck showed on the air:

Luck (voice over): “Sports purists remember Kushner, author of former Oakland Raider Jack Tatum’s book “They Call Me Assassin” and the sequel “They Still Call Me Assassin.” Kushner is still very touchy about the Tatum books and the repercussions.”

Kushner (visibly upset): “Don’t . . . hold it now. . . . I told you we were not going to start on the Tatum book in this interview. . . . Because of that bunch of (expletive). . . . people like you, that went out and crucified Jack Tatum because you took excerpts from the book and you didn’t read the whole book. Because of a bunch of (expletives) to this day Jack Tatum has been a villain. Don’t start that with Burt Grossman. That’s a separate issue. Don’t bring Jack Tatum into Burt Grossman.

(Luck then preceded to show excerpts from the Grossman book, which is still in need of a publisher. Among other things, Grossman refers to women reporters as “bow wows.”)

Luck: “Shouldn’t it just go down the way the man says it, and you just dot the i’s and cross the t’s?”

Kushner: “No, it shouldn’t go down . . . like I told you (lip starts to quiver), it’s my job to enhance the book, to add a word here and there to make it a better book. I do that, period.”

Luck: “So you’re just out trying to sell books. . . .”

Kushner: “Of course you’re trying to sell books. What do you think, you’re going to write a book because you don’t want to sell books? Of course you try to sell books.”

Luck: “Therefore you would want to make it as flowery as you can, to go one step beyond to sell books and put maybe a ballplayer’s name and reputation and occupation in jeopardy. . . .”

At this point, Kushner stuck his hand in the lens of the camera. Mumbling, “Rod, I’m going to tell you something, this is the end of it,” he leaped at Luck, wrestled him to the ground and threw a few weak punches, while Luck covered up.

After a dramatic pause, Grossman pulled Kushner off Luck and both stormed out the door. Luck, gripping the microphone and looking kind of pathetic with his shirt ripped, popped up and took a few steps after him, shouting, “Isn’t it true?”

After airing the tape Tuesday night, anchorwoman Cathy Clark--live, back in the studio--was unable to control her laughter.

Clark: “I can’t believe you did that.”

Luck: “. . . you can laugh, but . . .”

Clark: “I’m not laughing . . .”

Luck was left with a shiner under his left eye. He says he has known Kushner for some time, and that they’ve played golf together. He says he is “disappointed” and “discouraged” by the episode.

To illustrate how disappointed and discouraged he is, he showed the tape three times Tuesday night. Then again Wednesday. And again Thursday.

Reports that Cinema Grossmont will close this summer may have been premature. Earlier this year, officials of the Grossmont Center and Pacific Theaters had said that Cinema Grossmont, one of three remaining big-screen theaters in San Diego, would close soon after the opening of the Trolley 8 theaters, located nearby.

The Trolley 8 theaters are scheduled to open Friday, but there still is not an official date for closing Cinema Grossmont. Although representatives from Pacific Theaters didn’t return phone calls, a spokeswoman for the shopping center confirms that the theater is not scheduled to close during the summer.

“A lot of things are up in the air,” said Debbie Gostin, assistant marketing director for the shopping center.

Such talk can only be received as good news to all lovers of big-screen cinema, which is undoubtedly a dying breed in San Diego.

Dan Mitchinson, a former disc jockey with KKYY (now KRMX), has been on a one-man mission to save the theater. He’s collected about 500 signatures supporting big-screen theaters, and, coincidentally, he was preparing to send the signatures to Pacific Theaters last week.

“It’s great news,” Mitchinson said. “Every day the theater stays open is a sign that it is headed in the right direction.”

This is the “concept” from the press release for “K-9000,” an upcoming television movie on Fox: “An original, action-filled production about a street-wise maverick cop who teams with a beautiful research scientist to rescue her creation: a canine with a computer-enhanced brain.” And some people say television is a cultural wasteland. Catherine Oxenberg stars. . . .

Asked by Roger Hedgecock what she was doing while hiding out in the Philippines, former madam Karen Wilkening said she worked as an extra on the movie “Delta Force II.” . . .

Channel 8’s coverage of the Armed Forces Day parade received a whopping 13 rating and 63 share. . . .

KABC-TV in Los Angeles is reportedly paying $200,000 a week to carry that ratings beast “Oprah Winfrey.” Channel 10 program director Don Lundy said his station is not paying nearly as much. But he confirmed that his station pays more for “Oprah” than any other show, and that the station has renewed it through 1995. . . .

Some local observers wondered why Channel 8 hired Margaret Radford away from Channel 10. Now we know why. It is his her gift for poetic imagery. Covering the recent flyover by a squadron of Navy planes, she said they “looked like big shiny birds.”